Silvio Berlusconi to resign after parliament OKs reforms

Silvio Berlusconi: In a statement, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano's office said Berlusconi had promised during the meeting to resign once the economic reforms have passed parliament.

ByAssociated PressNovember 8, 2011

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi attends a voting session at the Lower Chamber, on Nov. 8. Premier Silvio Berlusconi won a much-watched vote Tuesday, but the result laid bare his lack of support in Parliament as financial pressure from the eurozone debt crisis pummeled Italy.

ROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi promised Tuesday to resign after parliament passes economic reforms demanded by the European Union, capping a two-decade political career that has ended with Italy on the brink of being swept into Europe's debt crisis.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano met for about an hour with Berlusconi after the premier lost his parliamentary majority during a routine vote earlier Tuesday. In a statement, Napolitano's office saidBerlusconi had promised during the meeting to resign once the economic reforms have passed parliament.